Figure 1.--German boys by the late 1950s were commonlyv wearing ankle socks. This snapshot is undated, but looks to have been taken in the late-1950s or early 60s. Perhaps reader who know a bit about cars can be more precise. Notee the abkle socks patterns.

Many Germany boys in the early 20th cebtury wore long stockings or three-quarter socks. Ankle socks were not common. Mostly younger boys wore snkle socks in the 1920s. Ankle socks began to be more commonly seen in the 1930s, mostly during the summer. After World War II, ankle socks gradually became the dominant hosiery worn by German boys, replacing knee socks and long stockings. Hosiery was still quite diverse in the 1950s, but ankle socks had become quite common. Knee socks were still common in the 1950s, but we see wquite a few boys weating abkle socks, especiaslly during the summer. We note colorful ankle soks with patterns. Quite a few boys wore long stockings, especiually at the beginning of the decde. Some conservtive mothers insisted on them during the winter. Other mothers began to choose long pants for winter wear. Ankle socks by the 1960s they were becoming less common--especially with older boys. We think both fashion and the German Economic Miracle were involved. Many German families were beginning to move into homes with central hearing. We still see quite a few boys wearing knee socks in the 1960s, especially during the beginning of the decade and the summer months. Most German boys by the 1970s were wearing ankle soicks. Knee sovks by the 1980s were rarely seen.